Universal digital dental implant scanning code and method

ABSTRACT

A universal digital implant scanning code (UDDISC) is provided on a dental implant body and/or any device attached to the dental implant body (e.g., the dental implant carrier). Implant bodies and platforms are available in many different types of sizes and configurations from many different companies. The UDDISC allows for an immediate digital scan of the dental implant in relationship to the patient&#39;s dentition.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS AND APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/485,740, filed Apr. 12, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/204,543, filed Mar. 11, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.9,655,697, issued May 23, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/782,525, filed Mar. 14, 2013,which applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present exemplary embodiment relates generally to dental apparatusand methods. It finds particular application in conjunction with dentalimplants and methods, and will be described with particular referencethereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplaryembodiment is also amenable to other like applications.

It is common for disease and/or injury to result in the loss of one ormore natural teeth throughout a typical person's lifetime. As a result,a number of techniques have been developed to repair and/or replace suchlost natural teeth with prosthetics.

In cases where natural teeth remain adjacent to the location where aprosthetic tooth is to be positioned, a fixed bridge may be fabricated.A fixed bridge utilizes one or both adjacent teeth to support theprosthetic tooth. In cases where insufficient natural teeth remain tosupport and stabilize a bridge, a partial or complete denture may befabricated, with the denture seating against the patient's gingiva.

In still other cases, a dental implant may be used. A dental implantgenerally involves making a hole in the upper or lower jaw bone, asappropriate, and then fixing the distal end of the implant in thepatient's recipient bone, such as by screwing a threaded implant intothe bone. The dental implant is generally sized and positioned so thatthe proximal end of the implant protrudes at least partially into thespace where the prosthetic tooth is to be positioned. Then theprosthetic tooth is fixed to the proximal end of the implant, such thatthe prosthetic tooth generally occupies the space of the lost tooth.

The current technique for dental implant surgery requires a multi-stepprocess that includes multiple appointments with many procedures toaccomplish the final aesthetic implant supported tooth replacement. Withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in a first appointment an implant body I_(B)is surgically placed in the dental alveolar bone B in directrelationship to the patient's existing dentition (e.g., between adjacentteeth T). After the implant body I_(B) is surgically placed, a stockcylinder healing abutment C is placed and secured to the implant bodyI_(B).

The non-anatomical stock cylinder healing abutment C causes flatteningof the interdental papilla P. The flattening of the interdental papillaP causes dark triangles and gum recession in the smile zone, as seen inFIG. 1. These dark triangles and gum recession are very difficult tocorrect after the initial healing period.

After four to six months of healing, the patient is seen by therestorative dentist to remove the stock cylinder healing abutment andplace an impression post to take a physical impression. This will allowfor a physical working model to be made in which a treatment crown canbe fabricated at the lab and placed at the next visit. Multiple visitsare used to contour the treatment crown in order to reestablish thetissue position (i.e., interdental papilla). This process sometimesinvolves the restoring dentist to sculpt free hand this anatomy inacrylic or resin material which is extremely time consuming. Inaddition, this process can have very unpredictable aesthetic results dueto the loss of attachment during healing and the varying range of skillsof the restoring practitioners.

Today, some dentists use digital scanning and milling machines (CAD-CAMtechnology) to fabricate onlays, inlays, veneers, etc., on natural teethwith a digitally generated model. These dental restorations can beprepared and placed on the same day (e.g., complete restorations in asingle visit). When applying CAD-CAM technology to implant dentistry, adigital model cannot determine the most simple relationship of theimplant to the dentition. In particular, conventional scanningtechniques cannot determine the implant type (there are approximately850 types), the diameter and shape of the platform, its orientation andplacement location relative to the jawbone, existing teeth and gingiva.These details are essential for a properly designed restoration with aCAD-CAM system because the manner in which the prosthetic tooth mateswith the implant impacts the alignment with the adjacent teeth andgingiva.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Recent research by Dr. Monish Bhola of Detroit Mercy School ofDentistry, has shown that an anatomically correct crown placed the sameday of implant surgery will give the best aesthetic result because thesurrounding interdental papilla and gingival tissues will be supportedduring initial healing. To make an anatomically correct treatment crownon the day of implant surgery is very tedious, time consuming andstressful for the dentist. Presently, the dentist has to work in asterile surgical site using stock cylinder abutments, acrylic andprefabricated crown forms. The present disclosure merges CAD-CAMtechnology and same-day surgery placement of an anatomically correctrestoration. Aspects of the present disclosure reduce the dentist's timeand stress during the fabrication of an anatomically correct restorationat the time of implant surgery. It will also allow for a more consistentend result from practitioner to practitioner. Accordingly, the presentdisclosure is directed to improved scanning technology for generatinganatomically correct prosthetic teeth for same day restorations.

In accordance with one aspect, a universal digital dental implantscanning code (UDDISC) is provided on the implant body and/or any deviceattached to the dental implant body (e.g., the dental implant carrier).Implant bodies and platforms are available in many different types ofsizes and configurations from many different companies. The UDDISCallows for an immediate digital scan of the dental implant inrelationship to the patient's dentition. The UDDISC can provide at leastthe following implant information to the scanning equipment: the implantmanufacturer, the platform design type, the platform diameter. ThisUDDISC can further include one or more orientation mark or marks forcommunicating the implant's direction/rotation (angular orientation) ofthe internal or external platform attachment, the implant's platformdepth, and/or angle with respect to the jaw bone, teeth and gingiva.This UDDISC can be matched to a data base of codes stored in the digitalscanning equipment.

Using the information obtained from the UDDISC, an exact digitalrendition of the patient's dentition in relationship to the implantposition can be generated so an anatomically correct immediate crown oranatomically correct abutment with cemented crown or an anatomicallycorrect healing abutment, which facilitate in the initial healing of thesoft tissue around an implant, can be fabricated and placed the same dayas implant surgery or second stage surgery. The same day restorationscan include an anatomically correct milled screw retained crown, ananatomically correct milled screw retained abutment with cemented crown,or an anatomically correct milled healing abutment, for example.

The UDDISC associated with any device attached to the dental implantbody, or the implant body itself, can be in the form of letters,numbers, shapes, colors or any other type of graphic design as desired.It will be appreciated the each unique UDDISC can be capable of relayingall the identifying markers and other information of the various dentalimplants for a digital design.

In accordance with another aspect, a dental implant product includes atleast a dental implant comprising a first implant portion adapted to befixed in the bone of a dental patient within the patient's existingdentition, a second implant portion adapted to extend from the bone of adental patient when the first implant portion is fixed in the bone atthe initial surgery of the dental patient, and at least one indicium onthe second implant portion that can be scanned on the day of surgicalplacement of the first implant portion, or second stage surgery,indicative of the conformation of the first implant portion.

The at least one indicium can include a code that is indicative of atleast one of the manufacturer, platform design type or platform diameterof the dental implant. The second implant portion can have at least onereference mark indicative of the orientation or position of the dentalimplant within the bone of the dental patient in relation to thepatient's existing dentition. The orientation or position can include atleast one of angular position, buccal, lingual, mesial, distal,occlusal, apical and implant angle, in relation to the patient'sexisting dentition. The first portion can include an embeddable portionof a dental implant body, and the second portion can include a portionof the dental implant body that remains exposed when the first portionis fixed in the bone of a dental patient. The product can furtherinclude a sealed sterile vial in which the dental implant is supported.

In accordance with another aspect, a dental implant product including atleast a dental implant comprises a first implant portion adapted to befixed in the bone of a dental patient within the patient's existingdentition, and a second implant portion that can be removed and replacedby a third implant portion having at least one code adapted to be readon the day of initial surgery wherein the first implant portion isfixed, the at least one code indicative of the conformation of the firstimplant portion within the patient's existing dentition.

The third implant portion can be marked with a code that is indicativeof at least one of the manufacturer, platform design type, or platformdiameter of the dental implant. The third implant portion can include atleast one reference mark indicative of the orientation or position ofthe dental implant within the bone of the dental patient in relation tothe patient's existing dentition. The orientation or position caninclude at least one of angular position, buccal, lingual, mesial,distal, occlusal, apical and implant angle, in relation to the patient'sexisting dentition. The implant product can further comprise a sealedsterile vial in which the dental implant is supported.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a method of performing dentalrestorations comprises the steps of surgically placing a dental implantin the bone of a dental patient within the patient's existing dentition,the dental implant including at least a first implant portion adapted tobe fixed in the bone of a dental patient, a second implant portionadapted to extend from the bone of a dental patient when the firstimplant portion is fixed in the bone of the dental patient, and a codeindicative of the conformation of the first implant portion relative tothe patient's existing dentition, scanning the patient's dentition andthe dental implant with a digital scanner, creating a digital model ofthe dental implant in relation to the patient's dentition, using thedigital model to mill at least one of an anatomically correct screwedretained crown, or an anatomically correct abutment with cemented crownor an anatomically correct healing abutment and seating the milledrestoration on the surgically placed dental implant.

All of the recited steps can be performed on the same day of dentalimplant placement surgery or at second stage surgery to facilitate thesupport of gum tissue during initial healing in an aesthetic zone. Thecode can be indicative of at least one of the manufacturer, platformdesign type, or platform diameter of the dental implant. The dentalimplant can further include at least one reference mark indicative ofthe orientation or position of the dental implant within the bone of thedental patient in relation to the patient's existing dentition. Thescanning can include scanning the reference marks to determine at leastone of angular position, buccal, lingual, mesial, distal, occlusal,apical and implant angle, in relation to the patient's existingdentition. The method can further include fixing the second portion tothe first portion after the first portion is surgically placed, whereinthe second portion includes the code, and/or scanning the code to obtainat least one characteristic of the implant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a prior art dental implantand cylindrical healing abutment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a patient's dentition including the implant ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary implant productin accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of an implant body and carrierplaced on the implant product of FIG. 3 placed in a patient's jaw bone;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the patients dentition including the implantbody and carrier of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional view of the implant body and carryof FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of another exemplary implantbody and carrier in accordance with the present disclosure placed in apatient's jaw bone;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary restoration inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of another exemplaryrestoration in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of still another exemplaryrestoration in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 3, an exemplary sterile dental implant product 10in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated. The dentalimplant product 10 generally includes a dental implant body 12 havingexternal threads or other features for securing the body within a holein a jaw bone of a patient. An implant carrier 14 is secured to theimplant body 12. Both the implant body 12 and the implant carrier 14 areprovided within a sterile vial 16. In accordance with the presentdisclosure, the implant carrier 14 includes a mark, code or otherindicium 18. As will be described in more detail below, the indicium canbe scanned by an optical (or other) scanning device, and conveysinformation relating to specific intrinsic and extrinsic characteristicof the implant. The implant body 12 and carrier 14 are exemplary innature, and it should be appreciated that virtually any design of dentalimplant can be used in accordance with the present disclosure.

Turning to FIG. 4, the implant body 12 is shown after surgical placementin a patient's jaw bone B. Any suitable technique can be used forplacing the implant body 12 in accordance with ordinary surgicalpractices. The carrier 14, after placement of the implant body 12 in thebone B, remains above the surgical site (e.g., above the gumline) suchthat the indicium 18 can be scanned. That is, once the implant body 12is placed, the associated carrier 14 remains in a position where theindicium 18 can be scanned by an optical scanner. To this end, theindicium 18 is provided on the side of the carrier 14. It will beappreciated that the indicium 18 could also be provided on any exposedend of the carrier 14, for example.

Once the implant body 12 and carrier 14 are in place, the patient'sdentition can be scanned in accordance with known techniques to producea digital model orienting the implant to the patient's existingdentition which will allow for milling of an anatomically correct crownand/or healing abutment. During the scanning, the indicium 18 on thecarrier 14 is read by the scanner, and various intrinsic characteristicsof the implant body 12 are obtained such as the implant manufacturer,the platform design type, and the platform diameter, etc. A wide varietyof other information regarding the implant can be obtained includingimplant material type, manufacture date, manufacturer, where it wasmade, lot number, serial number, expiration date, implant company name,etc.

It will be appreciated that the indicium 18 can be in the form of aunique marking for each different type of implant. In such cases, ascanner can read the unique mark and cross-reference a database ofimplant characteristics to obtain the specific characteristic of theimplant associated with the scanned mark. In this arrangement, thedatabase containing the specific characteristics of the implant can beupdated as needed or desired.

In another embodiment, the indicium itself can contain encoded datarelating to one or more specific characteristics of the implant withwhich it is associated. An example of indicium capable of containingsuch data includes QR codes. In still other embodiments, the implant canbe fitted with electronic chips, such as RFID chips or the like, forconveying a unique identifier and/or other information. It willtherefore be appreciated that the indicium can include a wide array ofmarkings and/or devices.

In addition to conveying a unique identifier and/or specific data, theindicium can further be used to convey extrinsic information regardingthe implant. In this regard, the indicium 18 can further include one ormore registration marks that can be scanned to determine the relativeposition and/or orientation of the implant body 12.

Turning to FIGS. 5A and 5B, and initially FIG. 5A, the dental implant 12and carrier 18 of FIG. 4 are illustrated in plan view, and positiondescriptions are annotated. The position descriptions includemesial/distal, buccal/lingual, and rotation of the implant about itslongitudinal axis. In FIG. 5B, position description apical/occlusal isannotated. These position descriptions are well known in the dentalarts.

To assist the scanner in determining the relative location andorientation of the implant, the indicium 18 itself can serve as areference mark that can be used by the scanner to calculate precisepositional information. For example, the indicium 18 can have aparticular size and location on the implant body 12 and/or carrier 18.The exact size and location information can be known by the scanner, andcan be used to determine the precise location and orientation of theimplant after scanning. In another embodiment, separate reference markscan be provided about the length and/or circumference of the implantbody 12 and/or carrier 18.

For example, in FIG. 6, another exemplary implant body 12′ and carrier18′ are illustrated after placement in a patient's jaw bone. The implantcarrier 18′ includes a plurality of axially spaced apart hash marks 24that can be scanned by the scanner and used to determine apical/occlusalposition of the implant. In the same manner, a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced registration marks can be provided. Implantangular position can be determined by angle of carrier when scannedbecause both the implant and carrier will be at the same angle. Implantdepth can be determined by the length of the carrier which will beconsistent.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a restoration in accordance with the presentdisclosure is shown. The restoration includes an anatomically correctmilled screw retained crown 28 mounted to an implant body 12 surgicallyplaced in bone B of a patient's jaw. It will be appreciated that theanatomically correct milled screw retained crown 28 has been made inaccordance with present disclosure wherein scanning equipment was usedto scan the patient's dentition after placement of the implant body 12.The scanning equipment utilized the UDDISC previously set forth todevelop a digital model of the patients dentition, and then theanatomically correct crown was created using CAD-CAM technology and amilling machine (or via other methods) on the same day as placement ofthe implant body 12. As illustrated, the papilla tissue P is supportedby the anatomically correct milled screw retained crown 28.

FIG. 8 shows another restoration in accordance with the presentdisclosure. In this embodiment, an anatomically correct milled healingabutment 30 is generated and secured to the implant body 12 on the sameday as placement of the implant body 12. The healing abutment 30 hasbeen made in accordance with the present disclosure wherein scanningequipment was used to scan the patient's dentition after placement ofthe implant body 12. The scanning equipment utilized the UDDISCpreviously set forth to develop a digital model of the patientsdentition, and then the anatomically correct healing abutment 30 wascreated using a CAD-CAM system and a milling machine (or via othermethods). In this embodiment, the anatomically correct milled healingabutment 30 is placed the same day as the implant body 12, and thenremoved at a later date and an anatomically correct crown is fitted tothe implant body 12. As illustrated, the papilla tissue P is supportedby the anatomically correct healing abutment 30.

FIG. 9 shows yet another restoration in accordance with the presentdisclosure. In this embodiment, an anatomically correct milled abutment32 is generated and secured to the implant body 12 on the same day asplacement of the implant body 12. The abutment 32 has been made inaccordance with the present disclosure wherein scanning equipment wasused to scan the patient's dentition after placement of the implant body12. The scanning equipment utilized the UDDISC previously set forth todevelop a digital model of the patients dentition, and then theanatomically correct abutment 30 was created using a CAD-CAM system anda milling machine (or via other methods). In this embodiment, theanatomically correct milled abutment 32 is shaped to receive ananatomically correct crown 34, that can be cemented in place the sameday as the placement of the implant body 12. As illustrated, the papillatissue P is supported by the anatomically correct abutment 32 andcemented crown 34.

As used in this disclosure, the term restoration is intended toencompass a wide variety of dental prosthesis including theabove-mentioned anatomically correct milled abutments and crowns. Itwill be appreciated that a wide range of restorations can be secured tothe implant body in a variety of known manners, such as with a screw orcement, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations willoccur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detaileddescription. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construedas including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they comewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

1. A dental implant product including at least a dental implantcomprising a first implant portion adapted to be fixed in the bone of adental patient within the patient's existing dentition, a second implantportion adapted to extend from the bone of a dental patient when thefirst implant portion is fixed in the bone at the initial surgery of thedental patient, the second implant portion having at least one indiciumthat can be scanned on the day of surgical placement of the firstimplant portion, or during a second stage surgery, indicative of theconformation of the first implant portion, and a sealed sterilecontainer in which the first implant portion and the second implantportion are contained prior to use.
 2. The dental implant product ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one indicium includes a code that isindicative of at least one of the manufacturer, platform design type orplatform diameter of the dental implant.
 3. The dental implant productof claim 1, wherein the second implant portion has at least onereference mark indicative of the orientation or position of the dentalimplant within the bone of the dental patient in relation to thepatient's existing dentition.
 4. The dental implant product of claim 3,wherein the orientation or position includes at least one of angularposition, buccal, lingual, mesial, distal, occlusal, apical and implantangle, in relation to the patient's existing dentition.
 5. The dentalimplant product of claim 1, wherein the first portion includes anembeddable portion of a dental implant body, and the second portionincludes a portion of the dental implant body that remains exposed whenthe first portion is fixed in the bone of a dental patient.
 6. Thedental implant product of claim 1, wherein the first portion includes adental implant body.
 7. The dental implant product of claim 1, whereinthe second portion is releasably couplable to the first portion.
 8. Adental implant product including at least a dental implant comprising afirst implant portion adapted to be fixed in the bone of a dentalpatient within the patient's existing dentition, and a second implantportion that can be removed and replaced by a third implant portion, thesecond implant portion releasably couplable to the first implant portionand adapted to extend from the first implant portion when the firstimplant portion is fixed in the bone at the initial surgery of thedental patient, the second implant portion having at least one codeadapted to be read on the day of initial surgery wherein the firstimplant portion is fixed, the at least one code indicative of theconformation of the first implant portion within the patient's existingdentition, and a sealed sterile container in which the first implantportion and the second implant portion are supported.
 9. The dentalimplant product of claim 8, wherein the second implant portion is markedwith a code that is indicative of at least one of the manufacturer,platform design type, or platform diameter of the dental implant. 10.The dental implant product of claim 8, wherein the second implantportion includes at least one reference mark indicative of theorientation or position of the dental implant within the bone of thedental patient in relation to the patient's existing dentition.
 11. Thedental implant product of claim 10, wherein the orientation or positionincludes at least one of angular position, buccal, lingual, mesial,distal, occlusal, apical and implant angle, in relation to the patient'sexisting dentition.
 12. The dental implant product of claim 8, whereinthe second implant portion has a first end for engaging with the firstimplant portion and a second end opposite the first end, the second endhas a diameter that is smaller than the first end.
 13. The dentalimplant product of claim 8, wherein the first implant portion and thesecond implant portion are coupled together.
 14. A method of performingdental restorations comprising the steps of: removing a dental implantfrom a sterile vial, the dental implant including at least a firstimplant portion adapted to be fixed in the bone of a dental patient, anda second implant portion releasably couplable to the first implantportion and adapted to extend from the bone of a dental patient when thefirst implant portion is fixed in the bone of the dental patient, thesecond implant portion having a code indicative of the conformation ofthe first implant portion relative to the patient's existing dentition;surgically placing the dental implant in the bone of a dental patientwithin the patient's existing dentition; and scanning the patient'sdentition and the code with a digital scanner.
 15. The method of claim14, further comprising: creating a digital model of the dental implantin relation to the patient's dentition; using the digital model togenerate a restoration; removing the second implant portion from thefirst implant portion; and seating the restoration on the surgicallyplaced first implant portion.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein all ofthe recited steps are performed on the same day of dental implantplacement surgery.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the code isindicative of at least one of the manufacturer, platform design type, orplatform diameter of the dental implant.
 18. The method of claim 14,wherein the dental implant further includes at least one reference markindicative of the orientation or position of the dental implant withinthe bone of the dental patient in relation to the patient's existingdentition.
 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising fixing thesecond portion to the first portion after the first portion issurgically placed, wherein the second portion includes the code.
 20. Themethod of claim 14, further comprising scanning the code to obtain atleast one characteristic of the implant.